Residing in Record Group 19 in the holdings of the Cartographic Branch are three drawings of a very early submarine owned by United States Navy. Though the USS Holland was not the first submarine owned by the Navy, she was the first to be commissioned and is the reason that we observe National Submarine Day. … Continue reading Celebrating National Submarine Day with a Dive into Drawings of the USS Holland (SS-1)
Living on the east coast of the United States, one gets used to cold mornings, grey days, blustery winds, and the occasional freak snowstorm. Given the weather and the fact that January 17th, 2024 marked the 251st anniversary of Captain Cook’s crossing of the Antarctic Circle, it seemed like a really great time to highlight … Continue reading Way, Way Down Under: Exploring Mapping of the Earth’s South Pole
Every year, around this time, many people’s minds turn towards New Year’s Resolutions. Things like saving more money, learning a new skill, and better self-care are timeless classics when it comes to resolutions. So, we here in the Cartographic Branch would like to offer up some patents related to resolution keeping, just in case you … Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions 101: Examples and Suggestions from Old Patents
On May 18, 2023, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will celebrate its 90th Anniversary. Though most of the records relating to the Tennessee Valley Authority reside in other departments and facilities within the National Archives, the Cartographic Branch has nine different series under the heading of RG 142: Records of the Tennessee Valley Authority, 1918-2000. … Continue reading TVA: 90 Years Old and Still Going Strong
The Cartographic Branch is pleased to announce that RG 242: Target Dossiers Pertaining to the British Isles, 1938-1945 (NAID 3371016) has now been fully digitized and is available for viewing and download through the National Archives Catalog. The records in this series are a subset of RG 242: National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized, … Continue reading RG 242: Target Dossiers Pertaining to the British Isles, 1938-1945 Now Fully Digitized!
Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Holidays from the Cartographic Branch! In the spirit of Christmas, with the help of RG 241: Utility Patents, we would like to offer up some guidance and general ideas surrounding Christmas trees and things to do this holiday season! Whether you are more into putting up and decorating the tree, wrapping … Continue reading Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Holidays From the Cartographic Branch!
The Cartographic Branch is pleased to announce that three new series of records relating to Puerto Rico have been fully digitized and are now available online for viewing and download through the National Archives Catalog. The first series, RG 95: Map of Puerto Rico Showing Federal Land Management Activities, 1949-1949, (NAID 1011336) contains a map … Continue reading This Just In! Three New Series Relating to Puerto Rico Fully Digitized and Available Online!
When you hear “Cartographic Records”, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Most likely, you would be inclined to think of maps - topographic maps, geopolitical maps, navigation charts, township plats, and any of a hundred other, different sorts of maps. But did you know that maps aren’t the only type of records … Continue reading Next Round is on the General! Recalling the Time When General “Lightning Joe” Collins Bought a Round for 600 Men
May 29th, 2022 marks the 18th anniversary of the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, and in honor of the anniversary, the Cartographic Branch would like to highlight a particular set of records relating to the very conceptualization of the monument itself. These records, found in RG 117: Drawings for the … Continue reading RG 117: Drawings for the National WWII Memorial Design Competition
All maps provide us with some level of information, but some maps, like the one pictured below, tell us a story. Found within the holdings of the Cartographic Branch in RG 77: Fortifications Map File Plans of Military Forts, 1818-1941, “Falmouth Neck, As It Was When Destroyed By Mowatt, October 18th, 1775” is one … Continue reading Maps as Storytellers: (Map of) Falmouth Neck, as it was When Destroyed by Mowatt, October 18th, 1775
